Controversial rapper, Kodak Black, recently prayed with Christian ministers, Annia Icart and Kevin Louidor to accept Jesus as his savior. The two ministers had been on their way to church at King Jesus Universal Ministry Homestead when they stopped at a gas station, where Kodak Black happened to be with his crew. Upon meeting him, Icart and Louidor shared their faith in Jesus with Kodak Black and right there at the gas station, Kodak Black accepted Christ into his heart.
Kodak Black Prays to Jesus
Louidor posted a clip on Facebook of Kodak Black praying in part, “I pray right now that you forgive me of all my sins, and I receive your forgiveness and I believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins and He rose from the dead. I accept you, Jesus as my Lord and my Savior. Come into my heart, clean me up. Use me for your glory. I believe that if I was to die that when I wake up, I will be in your arms. In Jesus’ name, I am saved. Amen.”
Louidor also shared, “Then after we was done, we started driving to church and the presence of God filled the car, and we [were] praising God and out of nowhere [I] start[ed] speaking in tongues and declare may the angel of protection be with us! And soon as I finished saying that the car lost control and we got [into] a car accident. We know the enemy is not happy of what took place because we brought a soul to kingdom so he retaliated! Victory is won! Jesus is Lord!”
Kodak Black in the Past
Kodak Black was born to Marcelene Octave, a Haitian immigrant, in Pompano Beach, Florida in 1997. His given name was Dieuson Octave, and his mother raised him in a public housing project. His interest in rapping began as far back as elementary school, when he started recording music at a trap house and subsequently studying up to increase his vocabulary for his rapping. Unfortunately his troubles with the law also began in the same time frame when he and his friends participated in burglary, auto theft, and fighting. He was expelled from school as early as fifth grade and arrested for the first time in middle school. His nickname in his school years was “Black,” and evolved to “Kodak Black” when he joined Instagram because of how Kodak is tied to photos, according to him. The stage name, Kodak Black continued into his life as a rapper because it was the name fans preferred.
Kodak Black admitted that he felt he had two choices when he was young, “sell drugs with a gun on his hip or rap.” Unfortunately, elements of both of those choices seemed to follow him through the years. He continued with his rapping, and first gained recognition in 2014 for his song “No Flockin.” In 2017, his first album, Painting Pictures debuted and rose on the US Billboard 200 to number 3, and Dying to Live, his second album, hit number one. In addition to the albums, Kodak Black’s songs “Tunnel Vision” made the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100, and “Zeze” hit number two on the same list.
Throughout the rise and height of his rapping career, he was arrested multiple times for various crimes. In 2015, the charge was possession of cannabis, battery, robbery, and false imprisonment of a child. In 2016, the charge was possession of marijuana, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, and fleeing from police. Again in 2016, he was charged with false imprisonment, armed robbery, and sexual assault, among other issues. In 2017, Kodak Black posted an explicit live video on Instagram of himself and other men with one woman. In 2019, he was given a four-year sentence in prison.
During his time in prison, Kodak Black legally changed his name from Dieuson Octave to Bill Kahan Kapri, after he had spent time studying Hebrew Israelite scripture with a priest and began to identify as a Hebrew Israelite. For him, this was a reference to Jewish priests who are descendant of Moses and Aaron. Kodak Black also worked toward and earned a GED during his time in prison. In 2020, his lawyers filed a lawsuit against the Federal Bureau of Prisons, stating he was being tortured by Big Sandy maximum security prison’s guards, and he was experiencing religious suppression. Then he was transferred to Illinois, where he was in prison until January of 2021, when former President Donald Trump pardoned him, along with 73 other prisoners.
Trump’s administration stated that Kodak Black was a “prominent artist and community leader” who was “committed to supporting a variety of charitable efforts, such as providing educational resources to students and families of fallen law enforcement officers and the underprivileged.” Also cited by Trump’s administration, was Kodak Black’s $50,000 donation to efforts fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, and many other donations for underprivileged children and families. The pardon was supported by several religious leaders, such as Rabbi Schneur Kaplan and Pastor Darrel Scott.